Snowbird, UT – As the country’s oldest, and most acclaimed avalanche training program for snow safety professionals, the National Avalanche School, to be held Oct. 23-27 at Utah’s Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, offers an extensive five day curriculum and gives students an unprecedented opportunity to interact with many of the industry’s leading snow safety experts.

“These are the guys (and gals) that literally wrote the book on avalanche safety,” says Onno Wieringa, National Avalanche Foundation president and Alta ski area president and GM.

The school’s comprehensive professional avalanche training follows the American Avalanche Association guidelines and is the only program of its type focused on ski area management and snow safety programs. Fourteen nationally recognized snow science experts and avalanche specialists will lecture throughout the week, covering more than 17 snow safety topics. The program is tailor made for ski patrollers, mountain managers, avalanche forecasters, control specialists, search and rescue, and backcountry guides, as well as highway safety staff, Forest Service and other land management personnel. Students are introduced to every aspect of snow safety including recognition for potential avalanche hazards, avalanche forecasting and control, mountain meteorology, rescue technology and much more.

Here’s a look at some of this year’s presenters:

• Karl Birkeland, Avalanche Scientist, USDA Forest Service – National Avalanche Center.
  Birkeland has worked with snow and avalanches for the past 30 years. He founded the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center in Bozeman, Mont.

• Doug Chabot, Director, Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center
  Chabot has been the director of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center in Bozeman, Mont. since 2000 and is the founder of SnowPilot, a free snowpit graphing and database software for snow professionals.

• Bruce Tremper, Director, Utah Avalanche Center
  Tremper worked as a backcountry avalanche forecaster for the Alaska Avalanche Center and has been the Director of the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center since 1986.
• Ethan Greene, Director, Colorado Avalanche Information Center
  Greene has taught courses on mountain meteorology and avalanche science in Alaska, Montana, Utah and Colorado.

For additional information or to register go to avalancheschool.org.